Wichita eagle., 1887-11-16
RAILWAYS IN EUROPE.
AN EXPERT ON THEIR !NFERiORiTY
TO THOSE OF AMERICA.

AN CtfERt YIN HEih 'tNFCotOFut !
TO THOSE OF AMERICA.
A Chat with Chaunccy VI. Depew-A Sys-
TEN of Barbarism That Smacks of the
Middle Ages-yourg America in Ger
many.
''One thing is quite certain" said Mr..
| Chauncey n DeDew to correspondent;
that no railway company In the United
States could run trains On the European plan
and retain its charter The whole system
over there seems to me TO be a system of BAR
barisIn that s-nac;ss of tie Middle Ages, and
| l viii tell you why / think so. III the first
place. no one is safe in the small compart-
ments. You are left there alone with several
utter strangers; perhaps only two or three
and often but one And this one may be a
thief, a lunatic or even a murderer, with the
Others as his contederates. Under such con-
ditions, then, you are shut up in a miserable
box for an hour or more, while the train,
laundering on, browns any cries that you
could make in case of an attack The sig:-a..
bell is out Of reach and if you are unarIned
or doze for moment you are quite at the
VI tlliS s441SlI M 10
with you Fortunately. the evil consequences
of this system are rot so great IL Europe as
they certainly would be in the United States,
for there the criminal classes seem to be less
daring than with US. But even as 1t Is rob-
berries, murders and assaults are SO frequent
on continental railways as to convince any
fair minded person that men travel IN Eu-
rope at the risk of their lives and women at
the risk of their honor.
Then compare the two systems as regards
conveniences offered to the public. l pass
over untouched what travellers In America
have long since learned to consider os railway
necessities, but which are absolutely unknown
i'll Europe. refer to adequate arrangements
for eating, sleeping, lighting, heating, anuse-
nlent, etc.
LACK OF CONvENIENCES.
''But l must emphasize one glazing defici-
ency, which is so utterly inexcusable that IN
the United States it would simply cause
riot. mean the fact that continental trains
are without even the most primitive toilet
conveniences. The annoyance end suffering
occasioned thereby is incalculabie. Think OF
the feeble women and elderly men, OF the in
valids and children, who are forced tc PVT m
with such INDUSTRIOUS neglect. To be sure TIC
companies pretend to furnish these accom-
modations at the staticns but as the runs are
very long, the stops short, and the weather
often Indictment, lneny persons are unable to
leave the train AMI t.:ke advantage OF even
these wretchcd accommodations.
Here is an illustration OF the abuses of
this system. I mention a care which has
come under my c~n personal observation.
An American lady left her seat to enter one
Of these ca oIaeis, and size was actually locked
in and kept there un.l the train had moved
Off, simply because, kayiDg left her purse in
the cars, she was unable to pay the few sous
that were demanded.
Another serioas discomfort on European
railways is caused by the incessant jolting, due
very largely to the small size and faulty con-
struction of the cars II you happen 10 ride
in the forward carriage Of one Of their ex-
press trains, you are thrown up and down
and from side to side with violence which
would only be equaled in the United States
on one Of the old corduroy roads over
western prairie, where the rails had been
laid simply on the ground without grading.
YoU.JG AMERICA IN GERMANY
II viii illustrate the autocratic character
of European government railway manage
ment by two incidents which | know TO be
authentic A party of American students,
travelling through Germany, reached the sta
ton just as their train was starting An Of
fetal called ont TO them not to attempt get
ting on, but DIS the cars we're moving slowly
they paid no attention to his caution aud
stepped aboard The result was that at the
next stop they were net by a guard Of sol
diers and all marched off under arrest. At
first the young americans treated the whole
affair as hinge joke and inquired with mock
seriousness when the trial would come Off
But they changed their tone OH being in
formed that, having deliberately violated an
ordinance of the German empire, they had
been already tried, convicted and sentenced
to thirty days imprisonment. In fact. be-
fore they realized the gravity of their situa-
ton, they were behind iron bars in tho city
Jail, and it required tue influence of the
American legation at Berlin, together with
the most humiliatiag apologies on their own
parts, 10 effect their release.
"a friend of mine was the hero of the other
incident, which happened at the Frankfort
depot He was about to enter a corlpart-
ment, where several seats were vacant, when
he distinctly saw one of the gentlemen ip-lae
who Immediately declared that the conapart-
ment was reserved and that no one else
could ride in It. Iy friend was SO angry
that he at once accused the fellow of having
received bribe, and on the charge being de-
MED he added, with American directness,
that the guard was "a liar and a thief The
train moved off, my friend being forced to
find another seat. At the first station he was
arrested for having insulted a government
official, and finally, after a great deal of
trouble followed a lawyers advice, made
full apology, paid all the costs and a heavy
fine and left the country in disgust Just
you can-such thing happen
inS in the United States, Philadelphia.
Times Interview
The Vanderbilt Bowling Alley.
The assertion OF an architect recently that